Item transport systems, such as mailpiece handling systems, for example, are known in the art. These systems include inserter systems, which create mailpieces and prepare them for mailing, as well as sortation systems, which sort completed mailpieces and direct the mailpieces to storage pockets or bins, depending on the system's configuration. Other types of transport systems and related applications are known.
In some mailpiece handling systems, mailpieces are transported using belts or chain drives between stations where they undergo various types of processing. The processing may include cutting, folding, scanning, weighing, printing, and labeling, for example.
Some systems are configured to process mailpieces of different sizes and/or different types. In one example, a mailpiece handling system may be configured to process envelopes of different sizes. Other systems may be configured to process different types of mailpieces, such as envelopes, postcards, magazines, and catalogs, for example.
A different arrangement of drive elements, such as belts, for example, may be required for mailpieces of different sizes or for mailpieces of comparable size having different wrapping materials. In one example, a postcard requires more closely spaced drive elements than a large envelope. In another example, mailpieces covered with a thin polymer wrapping may require a different spacing of drive elements than similar mailpieces wrapped in stiff cardboard.